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Orphan Black: Helsinki — Episode 112

The Helsinki series of Orphan Black comics reveals the incident that established the “Helsinki protocol,” which was referenced in Season 3 of the series. We discuss the context we have for the storyline from both the series and the first run of comics, and how Helsinki give us new context for what we’ve seen on the series.

Context for Helsinki

From the Series

A large number of self-aware clones (and civilians) had been killed in a short period of time

Articles about the death of the “twins” are shown in 4×04 “From Instinct to Rational Control”

From Orphan Black #5

Rachel encountered Veera at the lab that exploded, causing her parents’ “deaths”

Rachel blamed Veera for that occurrence, slapping her burned, healing face as she recovered at Dyad

Veera is revealed to have survived the Helsinki protocol at the end of the issue.

MK’s (Veera’s) Background

Raised by Matti Suominen, whom she calls her “legal guardian” – is he actually her uncle? Why was she not placed with parents? Or did she have parents before whatever brought her to the Dyad labs in Orphan Black #5?

She was homeschooled.

The series hinted that MK is neuroatypical, and she tells Niki that she has Asperger’s.

Clone Support Group

Katja, Ania, Sofia, the twins (Fay & Femke), Justyna

Reminiscent of clone club (which is obviously the idea)

Both Sofia and Justyna had different body types than the majority of the clones, which is a luxury of the comic medium.

Dr. Dmitri Volkov

So many labs! Stephanie had assumed from what was shown in Orphan Black #5 that Veera and Niki had met either before the lab explosion that “killed” Rachel’s parents or right after that.

However! They met in a different context entirely.

Jade suggests that Dmitri was purposefully making his clone test subjects sick.

Do Jade’s statements and the scene between Marion Bowles and Susan Duncan suggest that they knew about the prion disease and were trying to fix that flaw to create more clones?

Dmitri was associated with the Cold River project (“the place of screams”), which Sarah found out about in 2×06 by following Maggie Chen’s trail.

The deformed fetuses in Dr. Volkov’s lab evoke the Brightborn babies.

Effie in the body bag is reminiscent of Jennifer Fitzsimmons.

Self-Aware Clones

Kris is so deeply uncomfortable with the way Rachel is depicted in these issues. She’s supposed to be 16 or 17!!!!

Stephanie appreciated how Rachel’s switch from brunette to blonde was incorporated.

SO many people following other people! The Clone Project has a lot of money.

More shifty monitors who turn out to be not so bad? Maybe?

The Helsinki clones decided to use the media and public awareness as a strategy against the clone project.

If the press conference had not been overshadowed by 9/11, what might have happened? Would their strategy have worked?